Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Firkin Friday at the new Half Acre taproom. 13oz tulip from gravity pour.

A - Lovely cask pour with a persistent tan foam that settles to a solid cap and ample lacework. Opaque dark brown body.

S - Lots of pepper presence - a mixture of spice and vegetal flavors. Hops seem to have faded from when Sticky Fat was first released, but there's sufficient complexity to the malt bill with nice roast and cocoa in the periphery. Still, this is pretty pepper-heavy.

T - The taste has more malt sweetness, with more cocoa and caramel and less overt pepper flavor. Light notes of roast and char and fairly mild hop bitterness. There's some mildly vegetal flavors in the finish.

M - Medium body, with pleasant carbonation that's on the high side for a firkin. Light pepper burn, and a bit tannic - presumably from the vegetable matter. For a chile beer it's surprisingly drinkable.

D - My 13oz pour was more than enough and I moved on to some of Half Acre's hoppier offerings. Still, it was a surprisingly effective cask treatment that I never would have considered. The peppers and age made this very different from the base beer, but I think I actually enjoyed it more. (1,167 characters)